Authors Share Expertise at Virtual Military Family Summit Oct. 9, 2020

Three Elva Resa authors are among the military family experts invited to speak at the Virtual Military Family Caucus Summit, “Military Families in the Time of COVID,” from 9:30 AM to 3 PM Pacific on Friday, Oct. 9. The summit is hosted by two members of the House of Representatives, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington and Rep. Sanford Bishop, Jr. of Georgia. Defense Secretary Dr. Mark Esper is the keynote speaker.

The event will explore the ways military families are affected by the pandemic and will cover a range of military life topics, such as transitions, housing, and healthcare.

Stacy Allsbrook-Huisman, coauthor of Seasons of My Military Student: Practical Ideas for Parents and Teachers, will speak about the effects of COVID on school transitions for military-connected students. Stacy and her military family moved this summer, and her children are attending virtual classes in their new schools.

“We hope the takeaway (from the summit) is COVID has exaggerated the already stressful transition of changing schools,” says Stacy, “but with small changes, like awareness and outreach, our kids will stop barely maintaining or getting by and begin thriving.”

Amanda Trimillos, coauthor with Stacy of Seasons of My Military Student, will speak about military retirement and transition. Amanda and her family recently returned from an assignment in Germany after her husband’s retirement from the Air Force. His retirement and the family’s overseas move were delayed multiple times because of pandemic measures and restrictions.

“In my husband’s twenty-five-plus years of service, I have stood by his side during Y2K, 9/11, stop-loss, and countless other national crises that impacted the transitioning military member,” says Amanda. “COVID has had an impact on the military service and on customer service across all functions.”

Sue Hoppin, a coauthor of Stories Around the Table: Laughter, Wisdom, and Strength in Military Life, will speak about spouse employment and licensing. Sue is the founder of the National Military Spouse Network and has held many other leadership positions in the military community.

“There’s no question that a lot has been done on the military spouse employment front. However, our unemployment numbers are still exponentially higher than the national average so our work is far from over,” Sue says. “It’s vital that we look at innovative solutions in both the resource and policy arenas that would serve to move the needle substantially on spouse employment. Our national security depends on us getting this right.”

Registration is required to attend this free event. The full agenda and slate of speakers is available through Rep. McMorris Rodger’s website.